Door-latch.



s :wf mi E. BEssLER,

or AKRoN, omo.

' DOOR-LATCH.

To all whom 'it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. BEssLEn, a citizen of the United States, residing at, Akron, in the county of Summit and State of 0h10, have invented a new and useful Door-Latch, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to door latches, and has for its object to provide .in an article of this kind improved means for operating the same, the operating mechanism being connected to a stem which projects from the door, and which is taken hold of to pull the same open, the arrangement being such that a pull on the stem to open the door, simultaneously disengages the latch from'its keeper, thusenabling the door to be opened with one hand.

The inventionl also has for its object to' provide a latch having but a few uncomplicated parts which can be quickly and easily assembled, and also to provide a latch embodying a `novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter -described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the latch, the casing thereof, as well as the door and the door jamb, being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts in another position. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 0f Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

In the' drawing 5 denotes the door to which the latch is applied, and 6 is the jamb against which the door stops, the face of the j amb being formed with a socket 7 servin as a keeper for the latch. A plate 8 is let into the face of the jamb, and has any opening which registers with the recess 7. The latch bolt comprises a stem 9 formed at one end with a head 10 adapted to enter the socket 7. Thea-head is beveled on one side as usual so that it will be automatically thrown back as the door is closed, by contact with the jamb.

The latch is mountedy in-a casino' 11 which is let into a mortise made in the door 5, and secured in said mortise by a screw12 or in any other suitable manner.\ The outer'end of the casing has an opening 13 through which the head 10 of the latch is adapted to protrude.

The stem of the latch 9, within'the casin 11, is spaced from the bottom thereof, an between said stem and said bottom is mounted a Slide 14 which extends at right angles Specification of Letters Patent.

Application med April 12, 1909. Serial No. 489,413.

'and the head enters said socket. draw the latch head, the stem 18 is pulled PatentedApr. 26, '1910.

to the stem. In one of the side 'walls of the casing 11 is an opening 1 5, and in line with said opening, the door 5k is formed with an opening 16, extending therethrough to one side thereof. This opening in the door is closed by an escutcheon 17 provided with an opening to receive a stem 18 having a reduced and threaded end 19 which screws into an upstanding flange 20 on the slide 14. The stem terminates in a head 21 whereby a finger-hold is had, which is taken hold of when the latch is to be withdrawn from the keeper. The openings 15 and 16 are large enough to accommodate the slide 14 when the latch is operated as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

The connection between the slide 14 and` v the latch stem 9, whereby the latch is operated, is as follows: From the bottom of the casing 11 rises a'stud 22 on which is pivoted a bell-crank lever 23 -having one of its 'branches connected to a pin 24 rising from the inner end of the slide 14. From the other branch of the bell-crankvlever rises a pin 25 which is connected by a link 26 to a.

pin 27 rising from the latch stem 9. y From this bell-crank lever also rises a -stud 28 against which bears the free end of a spring 29 secured toa block 30 within the casing. The inner end of the latch stem 9 is formed with a tongue 31. which slides vin a groove formed by a pair of parallelrextending ribs 32 rising from the bottom of the casing 11, whereby the latch is guided to move in a straight line. The casing 11 is provided with al cover 33, held in place by ascrew 34 passing therethrough and into a lug 35 on the inside of the casing.

The operation of the latch will be apparent from the foregoing description, but it may be summarized as follows: When the door is swung closed, the head 10 of the latch upon striking the jamb, is automaticallyl retracted against the tension of the spring `28, and `'when the head comes in line with the socket 7, the latch is `shot forward,

To withoutwardly which, through the slide 14, the bell-crank 23, and link 26, retracts the latch as shown in Fig. 2, and thus releases the l door. The pull on the stem simultaneously pulls the door o en, thus enabling the door to be opened wit one hand.

The stem 18 is angular in cross-section and the hole in the escutcheon plate 17 through which the stem passes is correspondin ly the branches ofthe bell crank lever, and a shaped, so that the stem cannot turn a er spring fastened at one end to the casing, and 15 the parts are assembled on the door, and it is engageable at its free end with the stud, therefore effectually .prevented from being said spring tending to swing the bell crank 5 sepvxll'ted from the sl1de. l lever 1n a irection to advance the latch bolt. at 1s claimed 1s: In testimony that I claim the foregoing as A latch eomprisin a casing, a slide my own, I have hereto affixed my signature 2o mounted therein, a atch bolt extending in the presence of two witnesses. across the slide, a b'ell crank lever having .10 one of its branches connected to the slide, a FRANK E' BESSLER link connecting the other branch of the bell Witnesses: i crank lever to the latch bolt, means for oper- GEORGE H. ELLIS,

ating the slide, a' stud projecting from one of FRANK E. REAM. 

